•Mandeep Kaur(IXA)

• Parmpreet Kaur(IXA)
• Rajan(IXB)
• Kiran(IXB)

• Mrs. Sudha Verma (Sc. Mistress)

• Mrs. Ritu Chopra(Sc. Mistress)
• Mrs. Simerjeet Kaur (Comp. Faculty)

Q: What is an ore & name of the important ores of iron?

Ans. : Iron: It is the second most abundant metal in the earth’s crust. It does not occur in
nature in the elemental state because it is quite reactive. The chief ore from which iron is
extracted is called hematite. It mostly iron (iii) oxide (Fe2O3) mixed with some sand
(silica,SiO2) to remove the unwanted gangue particles like clay, sand, etc. The ore is
treated by stream of water the concentrated ore still contains some silica, which is
removed by the extraction of iron.
Extraction of iron
Extraction of iron is done in a big furnace called blast furnace .the iron ore is mixed with
coke and limestone the mixture is known as charge. It is introduced into the blast furnace
from the top. A blast of hot air is blown in through the base of the furnace. The following
reactions take place.

(i) The coke combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. A large amount of heat is
produced.
C(s) + O2 (g) CO2 (g) +Heat

(ii) Due to the intense heat in the furnace, limestone decomposes to form calcium oxide &carbon
dioxide.
CaCO3(s) CaO (s) +CO 2 (g)

(iii) The carbon dioxide reacts with more coke to form carbon monoxide.
CO2 (g) +C(s) 2CO (g)

(iii) Iron oxide present in the ore is then reduced by carbon monoxide to form liquid iron
the molten iron trickles down and collects at the bottom of the furnace.
Fe2o3(s) +3 CO (g) 2Fe (l) + 3CO2 (g)

(v) Calcium oxide formed in reaction (ii) reacts with silicon dioxide (sand) present in the ore as
impurity to form molten calcium silicate known as slag.
CaO (s) +SiO2(s) CaSiO3 (l)

The molten iron and slag are drawn off through separate openings at the bottom of the furnace. The
molten iron is allowed to solidify in moulds or casts, it is called big iron or cast iron.